Amid its beautiful landscapes, Italy has a wealth of Jewish history and hidden treasure beneath its stunning façades and while many heritage tours explore Italy’s major cities, there’s plenty to discover in the small towns and villages of Northern Italy.
Jewish Italy Tours offers specially designed luxury tours for travellers wishing to get off the beaten track and experience Italy’s hidden Jewish gems and unusual corners in unique places they wouldn’t normally visit.
Taking place in May 2017, the nine-day cultural experience tour will be led by leading tour guide and cultural historian Shelley Cohney who has more than 30 years’ experience in Jewish cultural history.
The tour begins in Milan and slowly makes its way around the villages and towns of Emilia Romagna, The Veneto, and FriuliVeneziaGiulia on a journey which will captivate the senses as it reveals the undiscovered Jewish life of Italy.
Highlights of the tour include eating traditional Italian food, participating in an Italian-Jewish Shabbat dinner, exploring spectacular sites such as Modena’s Jewish ghetto and the renowned Estense Library, the Jewish Quarter in Ferrara which dates back to the 15th century, the famous frescoes by Giotto in Padua, the picturesque port town of Trieste commonly known as the ‘gateway to Zion’, and much more.
The tour group size is kept small and intimate with just 14 people and there are plenty of opportunities for relaxing down time such as a luxurious afternoon in Abano Terme with indulgent massages and a dip in the ancient thermal pools.
The tour is all-inclusive and having exclusive access to sites means you’re given the unique opportunity to experience sites and tours not normally open to the general public. There is also the option to extend the tour to Venice or to create a customised Jewish Italy tour package upon request.
